Man's best friend is the focus of Seward's newest mural.
Recent passersby of The Alps Bark Park, 511 Bradford St., may have noticed a few large eyes staring at them from the west wall of the business. Thanks to Seth Boggs, associate professor of art at Concordia University, the wall contains a mural depicting five dogs, the business' name and a few landscape scenes that represent the Bark Park's namesake.
Bark Park owner Scott Dinslage said the mural stemmed from previous work with Boggs, as he painted portions of the interior.
“I don't know who brought it up first, but we talked about maybe doing something fun outside,” Dinslage said. “This has always been the largest canvas that's flat, that has the most potential for us to do something remarkable.”
Boggs said he's done indoor mural work, but jumped at the chance to do an exterior piece.
Boggs said he worked out a couple of concepts and settled on a design that featured “The Alps Bark Park” stretching across the wall.
“We have a text thread back and forth that had lots of treatments and concepts with the wall,” Boggs said.
As Boggs was nearly finished, they were informed that a business' name displayed on the exterior has to be confined to a certain size, according to city code.
“This (design) blew that out of the water,” Dinslage said.
Boggs started creating a new design when Dinslage had the idea to incorporate dogs. Boggs added two dogs to cover up a portion of the previous design, but the other two are familiar faces to the Bark Park. Anyone who signed up for a membership in a certain window received a chance to have their dog be featured on the wall.
“There was so much talk about this and then, I just had the thought to make this fun and help us out too, to be able to sell memberships and give those early adopters a chance to have their own dog on there,” Dinslage said. “It's been pretty fun.”
Dinslage added he was excited to unveil the winners, because many of those who purchased a membership had been using the Bark Park since it opened in April. In turn, he's gotten to know some of the dogs in the contest well. The winners were Kevin and Terri Siebert and their dog, Bodie, and Anna Hiatt and her dog, Franklin.
“It's really giddy because these members that have signed up are ones that have been with us since the beginning,” he said. “The chance at having their dog up here to show friends and family is another great perk of getting a membership here.”
The contest created a unique challenge for Boggs, as he knew he was going to paint two dogs but didn't know what they would be. He said, however, his process is simple and would allow him to adapt his art to whatever face won the challenge.
“I feel confident that I'll be able to work with what I've been given,” he said, with a laugh. “I'll spray paint a sketch on to get the proportions so I can get back and look that the nose is the right size or the ears are. Then it's a matter of blocking in the color and building in the detail.”
As of Sept. 3, the mural contains the five dogs, a mountain scene and the word “Bark.” Boggs will soon cover “Bark” with “The Alps Bark Park” arranged from top to bottom. After that, the mural will be complete and a vibrant addition to downtown Seward.
“I think it makes Seward a little more unique,” Dinslage said. “I think that's what this town is craving. I hear that daily and I hear how thankful they are to have something neat and new downtown.”
